


Dusk to Dawn

by Juney_Nguyen



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Aunt-Niece Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Gen, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Mental Health Issues, Romance, parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 03:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5951640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juney_Nguyen/pseuds/Juney_Nguyen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabbles series about Azula's first meeting with Izumi to their last. Featuring Maiko and other characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my take on Azula and Izumi's relationship. The timing and events might be different from how the comic is taking. Please let me know what you think! <3

[SMILE]

 

So long since she had been this surprised, she jump to her feet and earned herself a loud bone crack and slight light-headed.

Mai.

She felt her waves of thoughts and emotions surging and attempting to take a downpour on her again, but she swallowed hard, trying to recall her exercises. Her fist clenched tight on the glass separating them. Her vision was blurred, but maybe that was from her breath on the glass as she tried to calm herself. So she closed her eyes.

Inhale, exhale,...

She slowly opened them again.

That wasn't Mai.

Mai never smiled. Especially not to her, and not like that, as far as she could remember.

"Aunt Azula?" Little-smiley-who-was-not-Mai said out loud.

She felt like collapsing again.

_____________

 

The next time she opened her eyes, she didn't know how long she was out, but judging by the one on the other side's position, it might have been mere seconds. That person's face came so close to the glass, their eyes wide with worries and shocked.

Zuko.

Those eyes and the way they sparked with emotions, hiding nothing and daring everything even in the worst of times. But then a wave of little hand and a wide smile flashed at her.

That wasn't Zuko.

Zuko never smile at her like that, not for as long as she could remember. And unstable she might be, she was very sure Zuko didn't have a missing tooth.

This time she sat down, facing little-missing-a-tooth-Zuko, and waited.

______________

 

In the years after, Azula tried her best to overlook the fact that, sometimes, Little-please-don't-be-like-Azula could pull off a smile much similar to her own.


	2. Years

 

Azula stared blankly ahead, her gaze drifted from Izumi to the wall behind the child. She had been seeing the same walls everyday that she could remember how each bricks were positioned, every cracks and rifts and shades difference of grey,...These days, all of a sudden came a bright little human in clad in red with golden eyes, high cheekbones and messy ebony hair... Foreign, yet somehow painfully familiar. And so full of.....life. 

Azula liked to believe she could still remember what that word meant.

Life.

There was so much of everything and everyone she might never have had, yet undoubtedly had lost, in that very little human. Half paying attention to Izumi's rambling, half wandering around with some simpler, clearer thoughts in her mind, Azula tried to see her own reflection in those clear amber orbs. How long had it been since she had last seen herself? She forgot the reason why they allowed no mirror, no sort of reflection in her area. Why couldn't she see herself? Why wouldn't anyone want her to see herself?

Wasn't she supposed to be beautiful?

"...And I told father that I'm too old for pet names now! But he keeps calling me Little Turtle-Duck! Bumi was laughing at me it's so embarrassing. I'm eight years old now, I should..."

"What?" Azula cut her off, her eyes focused all of a sudden.

"Uhm...yes?" Izumi felt taken aback a bit. It was quite rare the times Azula would respond to her, not that it ever stopped the child from seeing her aunt once every few days.

"How old are you?"

"I'm eight, aunt Azula."

Azula spaced out again for a couple seconds before asking, mostly to herself, voice hoarse and shaky.

"Then...How old am I?"


End file.
